Apparatus for refining copper.



PATENTED DEC. 31; 1907. A P. L. ANTISBLL. APPARATUS FOR REFINING COPPER.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 5.1906.

A A v 0;

MAT/v55 SE15 EUNIEITED s'raarns an ream; L. ANTISELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR REFINING COPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I atented D c. e1, 1907'.

Application filed July 5, 1906. Serial No. Zfl'il- To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, FRANK LINDEN ANT1- SELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York; have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Refining Copper, of ,Which the following is a specification. 4

My invention relates to apparatus for the electrolytic refining of copper where an impure copper anode is suspended in an electrolyte, and deposited in an approximately pure state upon a cathode by means of an electric current.

One of the objects of my invention is to produce an apparatus to save the silver which has heretofore been carried by mechanical actionto the cathode with which it is ultimately alloyed when the cathode is melted for casting. This loss is rarely less than one half ounce to the ton of copper deposited and often amounts to several ounces a ton when anodes high in silver are treated.

Another object is to-provide means where.- by the anode and cathode may be prevented from short circuiting one another, thereby preventing the loss of current which in some instances has heretofore amounted to several per cent. of the total current used.

Another object is to produce an apparatus whereby the anodes and cathodes may be placed close together, thereby reducing the electro-motive force required, and also enabling me to use more anodes and cathodes in *a tank of given size, thereby increasing the surface of the electrodes, reducing'the current density and permitting a large amount of copper to be refined in such a tank, and also permitting a catlimle of greater weight and density to be produced.

Other objects will appear from the hereinafter description. y

Referring to the drawing in which the saine reference characterindicates the same part in the several views, Figure 1 is a longi-' tudinal section on line 1 of Fig. 2. Fig.2 is a top plan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the removable porous diaphragins. Fig. 4 is aview on an enlarged scale, of a portion of said dia-- phragm. Fig. 5 is an enlarged View of one of the corners of the diaphragm.

The art marked A on the drawingrepresents tli lead A and contains an. clm-lrolytc of a fixed height.

'of panels which may be renewed Without e tank which is usually lined with- A is an inlet pi e through which the elec-- trolyte is supplie to the tank, and A is an The removable porous idiaphragmjlfwhich V may be made of any suitable material, is sue-- pended between the anodes and cathodes.

I will now describe my preferred construction of diaprhagm, although I do not intend to confine myself to such'a construction. K represents vertical wooden side pieces having hard Wood pointed ends of the cross ,pieces 0. P is a horizontal piece secured to theu per ends of the vertical side pieces KL; Th ends of this cross'piece P extend beyond thevertical side pieces and are used to suspend the diaphragm from the top ofthe tank. Q is the "upper cross piece which has a V groove Q- on the under edge thereof. The cross arms 0 are provided With a similar groove:

openings or recesses L therein to receive O on the under edge thereof, and another groove Q on the upper edge thereof;-

is a wooden cross bar secured tolthe lower ends of the side pieces K. S is a piece of hard lead securing the side frai'nes and thibottorn cross bar together, forming acid roof joint. The weight of theleadassists in Keeping the dia hragni in its vertical position Hi the electroyte. -The open spaces between the cross pieces, the bottom piece andthe side;,frames K are filled in or paneled with veneer Tjof about 1/28 of an inch in thickness.' l have found that white. wood rotary cut veneer forms a satisfactory mater alfor the panels, one frame outwcaring several sets taking the frame apart by springing in the veneer, the V grooves beingiprovided to facilitatr this operation. The panels arefi'referably so constructed that the f the ve neer runs vertically. .It maybe here stated that by pl-a ciug thc V grooves oirthe underside of'the cross bars, there is no tendcncy foi the groovesto'lill -with slimes which will fall 0E and trolyte'. The circulation of the electrolyte is maintained by allowing it to discharge into the tank through the pi e A whence'it-circulates through the ta and'escapes by the pipe A. When the silver is liberated by the transfer of the copper cations, the silver not being de osited in the solution used-'84 per cent. H, and 12 or cent. H SO and 4 per cent, copper'and aving a tendency to settle,

soon reaches the bottom of the tank in the form of slimes, owing to the'fact that it is not allowed to lodge on the rough surface of the cathode and attach itself thereto mechanically. Although this must necessarily offer a ditional resistance between the anode and cathode as usually placed 'n a refining tank, yet by reason of be ing ab e to place the anode and cathode closer together, I offset this disadvantage and effect a decidedgain in two ways, first,

by. the direct reduced resistance, and second by being able to place more cathodes and anodes in a tank 'of given size, thereby reducing the current density and, consequently the resistance. v

I desire it to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having now described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In adevice for electrolytically refining copper, a tank adapted to contain an electrolyte, an anode and a cathode suspended, in "said electrolyte, a frame suspended in said electrolyte between the anode and the cathode, and a removable porous non-conducting diaphragm carried by said frame.

2. In a device of the class described, a

"pieces and the cross and panels being made of non c'onducting material. I v j 4. In a device of the class described, a

Cporous diaphragm diaphragm adapted to be suspended in an electrolyte, consisting of a frame and a' removable Wooden panel carried by said frame,

3.- In a device of the class described, adiaphragm adapted to be suspended in an electrolyte, vertical'side pieces, crossxpieces extending from one side piece to another, and removable panels secured between the "side pieces, ,said pieces diaphragm adapted to be suspendedv in an electrolyte, consisting of a frame of -non-'conducting material and panels carried by said frame.-;;jf; g.

Y Y 5. In a diaphragm ada ted to be inserted in an electrolyte, vertica side pieces", cross gem'oyable wooden pieces extending from one-side to the other,

said pieces being made of non-conducting material, and anels of rotary out wood veneer, secured etween saidside pieces and cross pieces and adapted to be removable therefrom. v I 6. In a diaphragm adapted to be suspend- ,edin an electrolyte, vertical side pieces,

cross pieces extending from one side piece to the other, said cross pieces having grooves therein, and removable panels between the.

vertical; ieces and cross pieces, the edges of' the pane s-being in said grooves.

7. In a diaphragm adapted to be suspended in a tank containing an, electrolyte, vertical side pieces and cross pieces connecting the upper ends of the side pieces and extending beyond said ieces and adapted to rest iece secured to the vertical pieces by a eaden joint, cross pieces'between the vertical pieces having grooves on the top and bottom thereof, the bottom groove being V' shaped, and removable panels filling the against the side of the tank, a bottom cross space between the, vertical pieces and the,

cross pieces, the u panels resting in t pieces. i

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set.

my hand at Perth Amboy in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, this 28th day of June, 1906. v FBANK L. ANTISELL,

In presence of OHAn Es O. IIERRMANN,. W. S. HIGGINS."

per/g and lower edges of the e-said grooves of the cross I 

